Floating piston engine plant



June 27, 1939.

H. STEINER FLOATING PISTON ENGINE PLANT Original Filed March 8, 1935 [III/[III rIlIIllIIlllllllllllllllllllllllll Ill lllIllllll/llllllllllll *Ililll illlllllll Patented June 2i, 1939 PATENT ori-ICE 2,163,767 FLoATrNG'PIs'roN ENGmE PLANT Hans Steiner, Winterthur, Switzerland, assigner to Sulzer Frres, Socit Anonyme, Winterthur, Switzerland voriginal application March s, 1935, serial No.

10,081. Divided and 1937 Serial No.. 147,316.

vMarch 13, 1934 6 Claims.

The present application is a divisional application to my copending application Ser. No. 10,081, filed March 8, 1935.

The present invention relates to a united re.

clprocating internal combustion engine and cornpressor of the floating piston type having a plurality of power and compressorcylinders for generating hot high pressure gases which may be used for operating, for exarnple, a gas turbine and for producing. compress'd air which is used as combustion air in said apparatus and/or may also be used for other purposes, more particularly to methods and apparatus for 'synchronizla ing the operation of the individual `pistons and for controlling the stroke of the individual pistons.

.An object of lthe present invention resides in the provision of means interconnecting-the pistons operating in different cylinders of a united reciprocating internal combustion engine and compressor having fioating pistons, whereby, at a change of th'e length of the stroke of the pistons operatingin one cylinder, the length of the stroke of the pistons operating in another cylinder is automatically changed, too.

A further object of this invention is to provide a unified internal combustion-compressor engine having floating pistons and in which the power and compressor pistons are directly connected and Vin line with one another and in which also the power and compressor cylinders are directly connected and in line with one another, andof means assuring that, when the stroke of a combined power and compressor, floating piston is changed, the stroke of the' power piston is changed 'to a lengthy different from that of the compressor piston.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a unified internal combustion-compressor engine of the type set forth with means assur-' ing that, when the position of apiston at one end of its stroke is changed, for example, due to varying forces acting on said* piston, the position of the piston at the' other end of the stroke is changed to an extent which is different from the extent to which the position is changed vat the opposite'lend of the stroke. v

A further object-of this invention resides inthe provision of a' unified internal combustion-compressor engine of the type set forthwith means' asuring that, when the Aposition of a piston at one end of its stroke is changed, for example, `due to varyingforces acting on said piston, the position of the piston at the other end of the stroke'is 'maintained.

this application June 9. In Switzerland Further and other objects of the present invention will be hereinafter set forth in the accompanying specification and claims and shown in the and compressed air producing plantaccording to my invention.

Fig. 2 is a crank 'diagram of 'an engine as illustrated in'Fig. 1.

, Fig. 3 is another crank as shown in Fig. 1.

vdiagram of an engine Fig. 4 shows indicator diagrams of engines ac cording to my invention and forming the principal part of the plants shown in Figs. 1 to 3, in-

clusive.

Like parts are designated by like numerals in al1 figures of the'drawing.

Referring more particularly to Flg. 1, of the drawing: 1 and 2 are the power pistons operating within combustion cylinder 5; 3 and 4 are power pistons operating within combustion cylinder 6. To the ends of combustion cylinder 5, compressor cylinders 1 and 8 are attached and', to the ends of combustion cylinder 6, compressor cylinders and IIl. Compressor pistons II, I2, I3, and I4 are connected to the power pistons I, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. air is conducted into cylinder 5 through conduit I5 and into cylinder l'through conduit I6; -Fuel is introduced into cylinder 5 through feeder. I1 and into cylinder B .through feeder I8. These 'feeders are not shown in detail as they are not part ofthe present invention. AThe exhaust gases of' cylinder 5 are removed through conduit IS-and those of cylinder conduits may be connected to a conduit 89 which conducts the exhaust gases of cylinders 5 yand Ii into a gas turbinev 90. The `gas to be compressed, for example air, is'drawn into single acting compressor cylinders 'l and 9 from filter 80 through duct 2l and into single acting compressor cylinders 8 and III` from filter 8| through duct 2|'. The air compressed in cylinder passes through duct 22 linto receiver 82 and therefrom'through conduit I5 into cylinder 5 serving as charging and scavenging air. Likewise, the air compressed in cylinder 9 passes through conduit"22 into receiver 83 and therefrom through.

Combustion and scavenging s through conduitzn. Both to consumers, for example,l pneumatic hammer 81 shaft 3|, and connecting rods 28 and 30 operate crank shaft 32. The individual cranks on each shaft and the cranks of two different shafts but associated with the same cylinder are set at an angle of 180 with respect to one another so that the pistons-associated with the .cranks move in opposite directions. The radius of the cranks may be made so large as compared with the stroke of the pistons that the crank shafts do not rotate but carry out a swinging motion, whereby the cranks never reach the crank dead center position proper. Crank shafts 3| and 32 may be coupled together by means of bevel gears |09, I I and H0, ||2 and shaft ||3 arranged between these gears, whereby the counter movement of the pistons in the individual cylinders is synchronized. i

It is advantageous to make the length of the connecting rods as small as possible as coni-v pared with the radius of the associated cranks because, with such a construction, a change of the position of a power piston at the end of its compression stroke entails only little change of the position at the end of the compression stroke of the associated compressor piston. 'Ihis is obvious from Fig. 2. If the swing of the crank shaft is reduced from angle a to angle i. e., when the load and consequently the fuel supply is increased, the length of the stroke of the united power and compressor piston is reduced from a to b; the position of the power piston at the end of its compression stroke is changed by the distance d, whereas the position of the compressor piston at the end of its compression stroke is I changed by the shorter distance c. The shorter the connecting rod, the greater is the difference between d and c. Inthis way, even a great change of the position of the power pistons at the end of their compression strokes has but little effect on the position of the associated compressor p|s f tons at the end of their Vcompression strokes and.

also has but little eect on the pressure of the gas in the compressor cylinders.

Fig, 3 diagrammatically shows an arrangement in which the crank passesouter dead center position, and the connecting rod 28 moves on both sides of the center line of the cylinder so that, for each position of the piston, two positions of the connecting rod are possible, whereas, in the arrangement shown in Fig. 2, the connectingrod 28 .moves always on one side of the center line vof the cylinder, and only one position of the connecting rod is possible for each position of the piston. For an operation according to the diagram Fig. 3, the crank shafts 3| and 32 are provided with ny wheels |22 and |23 so that the crank shafts swing beyond dead center position as diagrammatically shown in Fig. 3. If the extent of the swing of a shaft is reduced from angle 'y in Fig. 3 to angle 6, the inner' dead center position of the piston associated with this crank is changed by the distance e, whereas the outer dead center position is not changed at all.

The operation of the apparatus according to Figs. 1 and 3 is as follows: I

If more power is required from gas turbine 90,

more fuel is supplied through nozzles `I'| and I3.

The supply of fuel 'may be adjusted .by hand or automatically; this adjustment per se is not part of the present invention. An increased fuel supply to cylinders 5 and 6 causes increased pressure within these cylinders and a shortening of the compression stroke of the power pistons. Before the increase of fuel supply, shaft 32 swings, for example, as far as anglecy in Fig. 3; after the increase of fuel supply, the shaft only swings as far as the smaller angle 6 in' Fig. 3, and the stroke of a combined power and compressor piston is decreased by the distance e, and the space available for combustion is increased accordingly. The work done per stroke of a power piston is thereby considerably increased, as -is obvious from and will be described later in connection with the diagram Fig. 4. As soon as more power is available from the power pistons, the movement of said pistons is sped up and more air is compressed per time unit; as long as the consumption ofgases produced in the combustion cylinder and/or the amount of compressed air required 'for purposes other than combustion purposes is not increased, higher pressure in the air compressors associated with the combustion cylinders and of the charging and scavenging air is obtained automatically. As

is also obvious from the diagrams in Fig. 4, a

shortening of the suction stroke of the air coni- Vvoperation of the power part as well as of the compressor part of the engine. This condition is assured by a machine according to Fig. 1 of the drawing to a great extent if operated acording to Fig, 3 and, to a mcdied extent, if operated according to Fig. 2.

'I'he upper part of Fig. 4 shows indicator diagrams of the combustion cylinders 5 and 6. The

dotted line diagram shows the conditions with far inward moving pistons, as is the case when shaft 32 swings around angle a in Fig. 2 or angle 'y in Fig. 3. Charging pressure and compression pressure are small', and the volume Vo available for combustion amounts to only 6% of the total volume available for the expansion stroke. The solid line diagram shows the-conditions with the inner dead center position of the piston further out, as is the case when shaft 32 swings around angle in Fig. 2 or angle in Fig. 3. Charging pressure and compression pressure are high, and the combustion volume V1 amounts to l13% of the total expansion volume.4

'I'he lower partof Fig. 4 shows two indicator diagrams of the compressors corresponding to the operating conditions of the power pistons shown `in .the upper part of Fig. 4. In both cases, the compression volume `Vf is approximately the same, whereas the compression pressure-in the case of the dotted-line diagramamounts to 1.2 atmospheres and-in the case of the solid line diagramamounts to 4.0 atmospheres.

- The upper-diagrams of Fig. 4, which represent indicator diagrams taken in the combustion or power cylinders, show that an increase of the combustion space at the inner dead center position of the power pistonstogether-with an increase in fuel sup;.y greatly increase the work per stroke of the powerspistons, which is represented by the area enclosed by the indicator .dia--l grams; the work available for air compression is, of course, also increased; the lower'diagrams l of Fig. 4, which represent indicator diagrams taken in the air compressor cylinders, show that a change of the inner dead center position- Which'is represented by the left side of Fig. 1 -of the air compressor piston has little eil'ect on the work required by the compressor, which is represented by the area enclosed by the indicator diagrams, whereas, for example, an outward movement of the 'inner dead center position of the air compressor pistons would greatly increase the area of the indicator diagrams and vthe work required `by the compressor; if this increased work is not supplied, the height of the diagram.

and the pressure of the compressed air is reduced.

While I believe the above described embodiments of my invention to be preferred embodiments, I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of design and construction shown and described, for

obvious modifications will loccur to a person whereby the position of said piston 'at one end of its stroke is maintained also when the force acting on said piston and thereby the position at the other end oi its stroke are changed.

2. In a united reciprocating internal combustion and compressor engine, a plurality of cylinder units, each unit comprising a compressor and combustion cylinder, a floating piston situated in each of said cylinder. units and comprising a power piston operating in said power cylinder vand a compressor piston operating in said compressor cylinder, oscillating means being connected to and interconnecting the floating pistons of an axis which crosses the longitudinal axis of said cylinder units and which is disposed in the same plane in which thelongitudinal axes of saidy cylinder units are located, said oscillating means having an operating diameter which is greater than the longest possible stroke of said connected pistons and which is in such proportion to the longest possible piston stroke that the position of said interconnected iioating pistons at one end of a stroke is automatically changed to a different extent than the position is changed at the other end of the stroke when the forces acting on said pistons and the position of said pistons at thel other end of the stroke are changed.

3. In a united reciprocating internal comb tion and compressor engine, a plurality of cylinder units, each unit comprising a compressor and a combustion cylinder, a oating piston situated in each of said cylinder units and comprising a power vpiston operating' in said power cylinder and a compressor piston operating in said compressor cylinder, oscillating crank means being connected to and interconnecting the oating pistons of two diilerent cylinder units and oscillating about an axis which crosses the longitudinal axis of said cylinder units and which is disposed in the same plane in which the longitudinal axes of said cylinder units are located, said oscillating means having an operating diameter which is greater than the longest possible stroke of said connected pistons and which is in such proportion to the longestpossible piston stroke that the position of said interconnected oating pistons at one end of a stroke is automatically changed to a diierent extent than the position is changed at the other end of the stroke when the forces acting on said pistons and the position of said pistons at the other end of the stroke are changed.

4'. In a united reciprocating internal combustiony and compressor engine, a plurality of cylinder units, each unit comprising a compressor and a combustion cylinder, a floating piston situated in each of said cylinder units and comprising a compressor piston operating in said compressor cylinder and a power piston operating in said power cylinder, oscillating -means being connected to and interconnecting the floatingpistons of two different cylinder units and oscillating about an axis which crosses the longitudinal axis of said cylinder units and which is disposed in pistons, said oscillating means oscillating about its outer dead center position whereby the position of said interconnected floating pistons at one end of a stroke is maintained also when the forces acting on said pistons and thereby the position at the other end of the stroke of said pistons are changed. i

5. In a united reciprocating internal combustion and compressor engine, a combustion cylinder having at one end a compression cylinder directly connected thereto, a floating piston comprising a power piston situated in said combustion cylinder.

and a compressor piston situated in said compressor cylinder, oscillating meanslconnected with said piston which means oscillate ona diameter which is greater than the largest possible stroke of said piston and Which oscillate about a dead two dierent cylinder units and oscillating about center position corresponding to the outer dead center position of said piston whereby the position of said piston at one end of its stroke is maintained also when-the vforce acting on said piston and thereby the position at the other end of its stroke are changed. v

6. In a united reciprocating internal combustion and compressor engine, a combustion cylinder having at one end a compressor cylinder directly connected thereto, a floating piston comprising a power piston situated in said combustion cylinder and a compressor piston situated in said compressor cylinder,`oscillating means connected with said piston which means oscillate on a diameter Whichis greater than the largest possible stroke of said p'iston and which oscillate about a dead center position lcorresponding to the outer dead center position of said piston, whereby the position of said piston at one end of its stroke is maintained also when'the force acting on said piston and thereby the position at the other end of its stroke are changed, and ily masses connected with said oscillating means for assuring reliable and predetermined operation of said oscillating means.

HANS STEINER. 

